YouTube thumbnail for The Grayzone's interview with US mercenary Jordan Goudreau. Photo: The Grayzone.
Former Green Beret and US mercenary Jordan Goudreau stated bluntly in a recent interview with The Grayzone’s Max Blumenthal that the US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) created the so-called Cartel of the Suns during the 1990s. Goudreau, a figure with firsthand knowledge of intelligence operations, exposed this alleged drug trafficking organization, classifying it as a project conceived and nurtured by the United States intelligence community itself.
“This is no secret; it’s the truth. We’ve known this for quite some time,” Goudreau stated. Furthermore, the mercenary asserted that US intelligence agencies have been involved for decades in operations directly linked to drug trafficking, reaping significant profits from this illicit trade. These claims uncover a complex and protracted network that adds fire to the already controversial US military operation in the Caribbean and against Venezuela.
Goudreau explained that the drug trafficking group the CIA allegedly created was never officially named the Cartel of the Suns. “The Cartel of the Suns is almost a joke among us because, I mean, they didn’t give themselves that name. There’s a patch on their uniform that’s a sun, and I guess the DEA, or whoever, called them that,” he added, while noting that the CIA’s facilitation of drug trafficking through this alleged group is “well documented.”
Goudreau also explained how US intelligence agencies operate with remarkable independence for regime change, running projects under the utmost confidentiality and with restricted access. Consequently, this structure allows them to “facilitate and gather resources” derived directly from the drug trade, a practice they seek to protect at all costs, according to Goudreau.
The mercenary, who claimed responsibility for the failed Operation Gideon mercenary attack of Venezuela in May 2020—which aimed to forcibly remove Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro—offered his perspective on Washington’s current pressure on the Venezuelan government. In his view, these efforts align perfectly with the geopolitical logic of the Monroe Doctrine, whereby the US actively seeks to prevent powers such as Russia and China from gaining strategic influence in the Caribbean. In other words, the supposed war on drugs in the region masks geopolitical goals.
Trump’s regime has escalated its belligerent tone toward Caracas since last August, when international media reported a significant US military deployment in the southern Caribbean. Officially, the mission was allegedly launched to confront drug cartels. At the same time, US Attorney General Pamela Bondi doubled the reward for the “capture” of President Maduro, accusing him of leading the so-called “Cartel of the Suns,” a group whose tangible existence remains unproven.
Furthermore, Trump himself confirmed last week that he authorized the CIA to operate in Venezuela. For Caracas, the true intention behind these maneuvers is to force a political change that would allow the US government to seize the country’s vast natural resources. President Maduro and many international organizations, including the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, have consistently affirmed that Venezuela is free of coca crops and that only about 5% of cocaine from South America destined for the US market passes through its territory.
CIA sabotage actions
Goudreau confirmed that the CIA and the Venezuelan far-right opposition were responsible for the attacks on Venzuela’s Guri dam and Amuay refinery in August 2024 and August 2013, respectively. “These guys have been carrying out or helping to facilitate attacks on infrastructure in Venezuela for about a decade,” Goudreau revealed during the interview. “These are all projects that the CIA oversees through private companies.”
He also noted that “every time the lights go out in Venezuela,” it is the responsibility of the right wing, with the support of the CIA, in reference to the three-day nationwide electricity blackout reported in 2019 that Venezuelan authorities attributed to foreign and local sabotage. Mainstream media mocked the Venezuelan claims at that time.
“There was a major attack, and it killed many Venezuelans,” Goudreau said. “It was a refinery that was attacked… this attack was carried out by US intelligence in collaboration with saboteurs from the Venezuelan opposition.”
Trump’s advisor Juan Cruz
The US mercenary also spoke about President Trump’s former adviser during his first administration, Juan Cruz, and his relationship with drugs and far-right plots against Venezuela.
“Juan Cruz was Lester Toledo and Jorge Betancourt’s main contact,” Goudreau recounted in an interview with Max Blumenthal of The Grayzone. “As far as I know, he was their man, like the face of the intelligence agency for them, which basically made him their liaison. They mentioned him by name, and he said some strange things about me when they interviewed him after all this happened. So, this is one of the pieces of evidence of US intelligence involvement or sabotage.”
He confirmed that far-right opposition operators Toledo and Betancourt were not trustworthy and, most importantly, are CIA assets who are extremely well connected to the US intelligence apparatus.
When questioned about the veracity of Juan Cruz’s claim that he was acting under the protection of the US State Department as a CIA liaison for Venezuelan opposition figures attempting to carry out Operation Gideon, Goudreau commented: “I don’t know in what capacity or role he worked for the agency, but it is not unreasonable to think he was a NOC, non official cover, or some other type of agent.”
During his statements to journalist Max Blumenthal, the mercenary added that “Juan Cruz has been involved in this for a while, he has very deep connections” and referred to the obscure Venezuelan deserter, General Cliver Alcalá, who he said did not have good relations with Toledo and Betancourt, although all were linked to Operation Gideon.
(RedRadioVE) by Jhulimar Fraga with Orinoco Tribune content
Translation: Orinoco Tribune
OT/JRE/SL
